Content:

(B, V, M) The story of childhood disobedience and deception which brings true repentance, i.e., a child who recognizes he has done wrong and seeks to remedy his ways; and, mild violence;

Summary:

Like the boy and his beast friendship in THE BLACK STALLION, ELE, MY FRIEND is the delightful story of a young boy who befriends a wild elephant and ends up learning the true meaning of friendship and a parental relationship. Beautifully photographed in the Mudmalai Wildlife Sanctuary of Southern India and fraught with stunning images of wild elephants, the film harks back to the simple, innocent Disney family films of the 1950's and 60's and is a rare, gentle movie that will satisfy the viewer.

Review:

Like the boy and his beast friendship in THE BLACK STALLION, ELE, MY FRIEND is the delightful story of a young boy, Charles, who befriends a wild elephant and ends up learning the true meaning of friendship and parental relationship. Set on a lush tea plantation in Southern India, which is Charles' parental home, the ten-year-old boy sneaks off to a favorite water hole where he discovers a family of elephants. Among them, he finds a baby elephant, Ele, whom he befriends, and they spend many happy hours together. When his mother decides to send him to boarding school in England to become a "gentleman," Charles goes to say goodbye to Ele only to find that some evil men have captured him. Charles proves friendship as he pursues and saves Ele.

Beautifully photographed in the Mudmalai Wildlife Sanctuary of Southern India and fraught with stunning images of wild elephants, ELE, MY FRIEND harks back to the simple, innocent family films of Disney in the 1950's and 60's. Devoid of politically correct ecological statements and deep, pseudo-psychological complexities, the movie is a wonderful visual treat revealing the simple friendship between a boy and a beast as was done in THE BLACK STALLION. Through Ele, Charles learns friendship's real meaning and also how to relate to his parents in a loving way. ELE, MY FRIEND is a rare, gentle movie that will satisfy the viewer.